Monte Carlo Baby

Putting the finishing touches on the Audrey book and realized I needed a little 1940's swanky film-set guy in the background of one of the spreads where Audrey's filming "Monte Carlo Baby". So I scribbled him in and here he is freshly scanned. Looks like he might break into a little Astaire soft-shoe and/or vocal number . Are those high-waisted pants or WHAT?

This one goes out to my kid brother.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About Them!

While I'm working, I thought I'd point your attention to some fancy interviews:

Art director/designer/superman at Abrams, Chad Beckerman (also my swell art director on DOTTY) was just interviewed about his job as a book designer, including some of his well-known covers. Check it out! His Mishaps and Misadventures blog is also very informative, revealing a lot of the super secret behind-the- scenes process for the books he's worked on.

Also in news:

Today author and illustrator, Grace Lin, wrote up a great interview of the lovely staff at the close-to-my-heart indie bookstore, Curious George ! If you ever find yourself on the Red Line T one day, take it to the Harvard stop and visit the shop. As soon as you pop out of the T, you'll glance across the street and see cheery windows adorned in children's books and toys. Everything they say in that interview is true: they are expert and wildly learn-ed bookpeople, and they are passionate about which book they put into your hands. Michelle, GM, can make amazing pom pom Mo Willems pigeons (see above). They all are also very silly, which is very important.

I worked at Curious G for 3 years until freelance became too busy. I'm rusty on my book inventory now, but I still know where on the shelves Corduroy and Eloise live. I learned so much during my time there and also met my illustrator buds, Emily and Jess. Now, I like to pop in for much relished visits. Wishing the lovely ladies (and gentlemen) of the "hut" continued success-XO

Deadlines Taste Like Sushi

Deadlines, oh deadlines!...yum, deadlines taste like salmon maki.

I've been pretty good about making dinner during this past month of deadlines because I really love to cook-it's a creative release! Here's one deadline-related recipe I recently tried (Tip: I used diced tomatoes instead of Audrey's preferred romas, so add a cup of water). Still, no matter how you plan your time, you can't avoid those last c-r-a-z-y weeks: solid days/nights of PJ's, buried painting desk, teetering piles of sketches and reference, REALLY bad hair days, missed phone calls (eek– sorry!), anything and everything playing in the background as you've worn out your music (Golden Girls marathons, thanks to Jess) and SUSHI NIGHTS! (from Beni, down the street) I can take the back road behind my house right there...jacket and boots over pj's...no one knows, right?

When I return, I'll reveal some interiors for DOTTY! Be well– See you soon!

*Many thanks to my support, Matt P., who doesn't mind picking up the sushi and looking at my bizarre hairstyles, and to my understanding friends and family and loyal feline.

Pete and Repeat, In the City

-Another teaser from DOTTY: the imaginary-friend-mini-Lochnesses (in mobile fish tanks), Pete and Repeat. They belong to Max, the adventurous newspaper-capped explorer in Ida's class. Feverishly finishing two titles, stories that I adore and have enjoyed every minute making pictures for.

I arrived home at 3 this morning (yikes!) from a little book trip to New York where I attended The 2009 Original Art Show reception at the Society of Illustrators. It was great to see the walls decked with beautiful originals from this past year's published books and say hello to illustrator and publishing buddies old and new (special congrats to Scott, Dan, Lauren and to Brian for the silver medal for his exquisite Moonshot!) The show is up until November 25th, and if you're into the art of the picture book, it's always worth a trip.

It was a treat to hear Mr. Chris Van Allsburg speak on accepting his lifetime achievement award too. He mentioned The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, which forever changed the way I looked at picture books, even as a child, and helped me along my career path (to be an "ileastratider"). I appreciated his thoughts on "quietness" in children's books, and about bookmaking with for an ageless audience. I remember shutting his hardcovers, decked out in my best hot-green slouch socks and side ponytail circa 1989, and knowing I had to make books. I was in second grade and I had no idea how I might get there, but I hoped I would.

On my way out of the show last night, I even mumbled a spectacularly awkward sentence his way, thanking him for his inspiration, and received a "good luck" from him in return! It was also special to be there when Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) was awarded posthumously and hear a bit about his life and amazing bookmaking career. Big titles and big dreams in a very little gallery and in little books for that matter. I think I will always be in love with picture books.

Now we're back home in our small city, and it's back to work. Hope all is well ♥

Meeting Audrey

While working on the book for Audrey, I've been lucky enough to get to research her dreamy era for cues on dresses, buildings, streetcars, hats and important places like the old Fulton Theater in New York where she first performed as "Gigi" and made her American debut. (Can you hear me squealing in delight?)

Really though, what I've most enjoyed were the surprise little things I've found along with the nuts-and-bolts research...really beautiful and quiet moments in movies and interviews that let me peek into her heart and not just her life's timeline. As an added bonus in making biographical art, I feel I have made a dear new friend. Audrey did not have an easy life by any means, but seemed to glean joy from most any circumstance (which is not always easy!) making her luminous. I especially love one biographer's (Pamela Clarke Keogh) take on Audrey's lifestyle, "This decision to live in joy takes moral courage, and is, ultimately, one of the truest expressions of style." ♥

If you have 5 minutes to spend with Audrey, watch this video from behind-the-scenes of one of her last efforts, an Emmy-winning PBS series, "Gardens of the World". Make sure you watch it through until the very very end! Enjoy.

Gertie

Here's one of the imaginary friends from the cast of DOTTY. She is an especially elusive and bashful one...you'll have to read the book next year to meet (and find!) her.

Are you enjoying fall? I am hoping for a chance between life to somehow go apple picking.

For me, colder weather is jazz-flavored, and for some reason, so is this particular book. So I suppose it is perfectly perfect to be working on it while the leaves turn. I usually break out the Django, but tonight it's Marian McPartland. Ask me what song feels most like picture books and city lights in the fall and I will tell you this particular version of A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.

Corny & Cornelia In the Wild!

My art school roommate, Minty, found this today in her classroom out in California and took a picture. I wasn't even sure of the pub. date exactly, so it was a surprise! Thanks Minty! So here is book 1 in the series in its intended habitat: SCHOOL. This is a book club series by Pam Munoz Ryan. Final art for book 2 in this series, "Cornelia and the Show-and-Tell Showdown" is due tomorrow, and since early readers are usually double the amount of spreads that picture books are, I've been in the company of pet snakes, bullies, and the cheeky Cornelia for quite some time. Art to come (or TK in pub. lingo!)

"No," answered the lady. "I have no information about a crocodile wearing a red scarf."

Yikes! Has it almost been a month since we last? Time is marching on, so are projects and unpacking and assembling and painting. Everything is still in brilliant boxy shambles over here (at least the art desks are set up) but nothing nice enough to post yet. The book projects are chugging along too. Since everything is either secret or messy, I will post my current picture book inspirations (and a picture of Seri honestly sleeping on some of them!)


I was stuck on a few spreads, so I was compelled to make a run to Curious George for a badly needed picture book fix with Jess last week. I was especially looking for ones I hadn't read since I was small, like Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. When you crack open a book you haven't looked at since age 7, it's like time travel. Remember how it felt to literally be a part of the story as the pages turned? Renewing this feeling and keeping it with me as I work helps me along on my own books. So here are some of my recent jump-starters:


Bernard Waber, and his Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (*blog title quote, picture)
Tomi Ungerer, especially in Crictor
Marc Simont à la The Philharmonic Gets Dressed
Ludwig Bemelmans the great and his lovely Madeline
M. Sasek in his This Is (Ireland, New York, London...) books

...back to the classics. Oh and I have just found this new little dress. It also seems to time travel a bit.

Giant Things...Part I: Farewell, Davis Square

Old, rusty mailbox...to a new shiny loft!
So, in a previous post I mentioned how life is "giant" right now, and have been slow to blog accordingly. I'm moving (tomorrow!!) into our new home, a magical converted gear factory loft outside of Boston. We will be building an art studio on the left against some of those huge windows...so excited! Hopefully, I'll be up and running soon (and painting). I think crazy Seri will have fun Slip-and-Sliding down that hallway. Back to packing up and moving on, and farewell to my beloved Davis Square, Somerville ♥

DOTTY!

Mr. Chad Beckerman, my designer/art director at Abrams (also responsible for designing the sensational "Wimpy Kid" books, among many others) has just posted on his blog about the makings of DOTTY, picture book in progress. Go here to check out some of my preliminary sketches, behind the scenes with the author, Erica Perl, and of course some very official webchat sketch meeting snapshots...oh dear. As you can see from the post it took months of painstaking research and careful study on the merits of imaginary friends. Final art is in progress, stop back soon to sneak a peek! (Above is the final character color study)